Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.


Notes: And we're back! Sorry that it's been a while since my last update, but I've got the rest of the story all planned out now, so I should hopefully be able to make consistent progress from here on out.

One review for last chapter asked about the ages of the Legacy Rangers and what time period they're from: I was a little vague on that in the last chapter, but I do explain it in this one.

So, without further ado, let's get back into this!


Chapter 5: The Replacements

For a long moment, the two teams of Rangers just stared at each other. The faces of the S.P.D. B-Squad were filled with shock and amazement, while the faces of the veterans who had come to save them showed nothing but calm, confident smiles.

After a long moment, Sky finally took a slow step forwards, his eyes locked on the spiky-haired leader of the new team. "It… it's an honor to meet you, sir," he managed to get out, inclining his head respectfully.

Tommy chuckled softly and clapped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It's all right," he reassured Sky. "Like I said, we're here to help; you don't have to thank us."

"He's right," the red-clad man beside him stated with a cheerful grin. "It's what Rangers do; we help each other out."

While Sky, Bridge, Syd and Sam were all still gawking incredulously at the new arrivals, Jack and Z, who hadn't received nearly as many Ranger History classes as the other B-Squad members, were more than a little confused. "Uh… hi?" Jack spoke up, frowning curiously as he stepped up next to Sky. "Sorry if this sounds a little personal, but… who are you guys?"

"We're Rangers, just like you guys," the yellow-clad girl spoke up with a smile. "Or, I guess… we were Rangers, a long time ago." She held up her right arm, showing them the metal bracelet looped around it with a gleaming yellow gemstone embedded in it. "I'm Kira Ford. Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger."

"Tori Hansen," the girl in the blue-and-black bodysuit added with a friendly nod. "Blue Wind Ranger."

"Cole Evans, Red Wild Force Ranger," the dark-haired man put in, still with that warm, irrepressible grin on his face. "It's great to meet you guys."

"Jen Collins, Pink Time Force Ranger," the third girl finished, her arms folded over her chest as her eyes flicked over each of the cadets in turn, not in an antagonistic manner but with the attitude of someone who was accustomed to analyzing everyone and everything around her for potential threats.

"We've been told about what you're facing, and we're here to help you guys deal with it," Tommy continued. "We can explain everything else later, but…"

"But maybe this isn't the best place," Tori finished, nodding in agreement as she glanced around at the devastated park. "Yeah, probably a good call."


Since most of the cadets' vehicles had been heavily damaged thanks to Goldar and Scorpina, Cruger had needed to send out a couple of S.P.D. vans to pick up the battered Rangers and their new allies. B-Squad's bikes and Jeep would need a considerable amount of repair work before they'd be ready for use again, but luckily none of the cadets had taken any serious injuries; their enhanced physiologies and the tough training they'd gone through definitely came in handy for occasions like this. As for Sam, while he'd taken some hard hits at the hands of Goldar and Scorpina, the fact that the body beneath his suit was currently comprised of energy rather than matter – a side effect of his journey through the timestream from his home year of 2040 – kept the lasting damage to a minimum.

As a result, despite the beating that they had sustained, all six Rangers were able to attend the post-mission briefing in the Command Center, along with Cruger, Kat, and their five new guests.

The five Legacy Rangers were all glancing around curiously, intrigued by the advanced technology around them. "Cam would love this place," Tori murmured under her breath.

"Ethan too," Kira replied with a grin. "They'd be like two kids in a candy store around all this stuff."

Tori had to cover a snicker with her hand, before Jen cleared her throat and brought both of the younger women's attention over to her. "Uh, guys?" she deadpanned, indicating the S.P.D. team with a jerk of her head. "I think we've got some more important stuff to talk about right now."

"I agree," Cruger concurred, although there was a bit of amusement in his voice. "Welcome to our base, Rangers. Although I must say, I find myself puzzled as to how you are here."

"As am I," Kat added, frowning as she looked over each of the new arrivals in turn. "I ran your personnel records and DNA scans through our computer archives, and they confirmed that all five of you are who you say you are. But that doesn't seem possible, because – while I mean no offense…"

"We all look like we're about twenty years younger than we should be?" Jen interjected with a faint smirk. "Not to worry, there's actually a pretty simple explanation for that: we're not from this time period." She shrugged. "Honestly, I feel like I've gotten way more used to saying that than I should be."

All of the S.P.D. Rangers' eyes widened in shock. "Hang on," Z spoke up. "You… you're talking about time travel? Like, you guys came here from the past?"

Cole grinned brightly. "Yup! It's awesome, right?"

"Well, it's not like we don't appreciate the help," Jack commented, a grin of his own curving his lips as he nodded to the other Red Ranger. "What I'm confused about is, how did you guys get here? Like, do you have a time machine or something? Or..."

Abruptly, a flash of golden light illuminated the interior of the Command Center, and everyone in the room had to shield their eyes for a moment as a glowing, ethereal figure materialized between the two groups. "I believe I may be able to answer all of your questions," the Sentinel Knight declared.

Bridge smiled. "Oh, right! You said you were gonna try and help us somehow!" He blinked and glanced over to the five older Rangers. "Gotta say, I wasn't expecting that much help."

"I could not allow Gruumm and Thrax to destroy this world," the Knight confirmed. "It was I who failed to keep Thrax contained after I defeated him, and I cannot allow you or this planet to suffer for my failure." He extended one translucent arm towards the older team. "Therefore, I used my powers to reach back through time and make contact with individuals who would be able to help you."

"Unfortunately, he couldn't reach far back enough to reach us while we still had our powers," Tori continued, her expression sympathetic as she looked up at the Knight. "So he had to use some of his power to give them back."

"Indeed," the Knight agreed with a sigh. "In my current state, the furthest I could reach back in time was approximately twenty years, to the year 2005. In that time, I contacted all five of these former Rangers to ask for their help. When they agreed to do so, I was able to use some of my remaining energy to restore their Morphing powers and to transport them here, to this time."

"Guess you could call us 'the Legacy Rangers' or something like that," Cole finished with a soft chuckle. "But like I said, we're happy to help. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger." All four of the other Legacies nodded in agreement.

"We all thank you for your assistance, Rangers," Cruger replied, inclining his head to the Legacies and the Knight. "And thank you for helping us as well, Sentinel Knight. We all owe you a tremendous debt."

The Knight laughed softly and shook his head. "You owe me nothing, Commander," he replied softly. "It is my duty to help you and the people of Earth against Thrax and Gruumm, and I will do whatever I can to aid you in your battle." He sighed sadly as his glowing green eyes shifted over to the rest of the S.P.D. team. "Unfortunately, Rangers of Space Patrol Delta, restoring your Morphing powers is beyond my abilities. Normally I would be able to do so fairly easily, but the damage that Thrax has done to the Morphing Grid was strong enough to render that impossible. That is why I had to reach back through time, so I could recruit aid for you from a time period when the Grid was still intact."

Cruger nodded solemnly. "I understand." He spread his arms to indicate their surroundings. "Well, then: for the time being, Rangers, our base is at your disposal. My team and I will do everything we can to help, and we do have one morph-capable Ranger who can aid you in your efforts."

"That's right," Sam agreed, the Omega Ranger stepping forward and nodding politely to the new arrivals. "Thank you all again for coming; I'll be more than happy to fight alongside you."

"Sounds great!" Kira replied cheerfully, giving the others a comforting smile. "And don't worry, guys; I'm sure we're gonna be able to get your powers back. I'm pretty sure we've all lost our powers before, at one point or another, and there's always a way to fix that." She glanced over to Tommy. "Right, Dr. O?"

Tommy nodded in agreement. "Definitely. I've lost my powers a few times over the years, but I've always managed to get them back." He chuckled, before smiling warmly at the S.P.D. team. "We'll do whatever we can to help with that, too; it might seem unlikely now, but I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something."

"For the time being, however," the Sentinel Knight declared, "the six of you will have to shoulder the responsibility of defending the Earth against the threat of Thrax, Gruumm, and the other members of their new Evil Alliance." His glowing eyes flicked over each of the new team in turn. "Tommy. Kira. Tori. Cole. Jennifer. Sam. You are now this world's new team of Power Rangers."

Jack felt an uncomfortable wrench in his stomach as he glanced over to the rest of his teammates. Now that the reality of their situation was sinking in, they all shared the same attitude that he seemed to feel: a combination of relief and disappointment. Relief that they'd been saved and that there was a new team of morph-capable Rangers present to carry on the fight while they couldn't… but also the disappointment that came with having been taken out of the fight.

Although he knew having these new Legacy Rangers around was a good thing, Jack couldn't help the feeling deep down that he and his teammates had just been replaced.

And he didn't like that feeling.


Aboard the Terror…

"Five new Rangers?!" The immense Troobian warship practically shuddered from the force of Gruumm's furious roar, his eyes blazing like twin crimson furnaces as he stormed onto the bridge.

"That is what they said, yes," Thrax confirmed flatly, nodding to where Goldar and Scorpina stood beside him. Both of the young warlord's lieutenants looked rather nervous at the sight of the Troobian Emperor's glowering wrath, but Thrax, despite the similar surge of fury burning in his own heart, kept it tightly in check and stood slightly in front of them as a gesture of reassurance, signifying that they were under his protection. He'd had a lot of time to learn how to control his temper when he'd been contained in that wretched Space Dumpster, and he had made the most of it. And he had no intention of allowing Gruumm to try and take out his anger on Thrax's most faithful servants.

"You told me that this little plan of yours would enable us to wipe out the Power Rangers!" Gruumm snapped, his red-eyed glare locking onto Thrax. "You assured me that it would work, but so far all it seems to have done is multiply our problems!"

"It did work," Thrax replied evenly. "The Power Rangers of Space Patrol Delta have been rendered powerless and incapable of posing any real threat to your conquest of Earth; their little showdown with Goldar and Scorpina proved that. Only one of those seven Rangers is still capable of putting up a genuine fight against us, and he is no match for us on his own. As for these five new Rangers, I already know who they are and where they came from." His eyes narrowed. "This is the work of that damnable Sentinel Knight."

"Really?" Morgana drawled from where she was leaning against a support beam on the other side of the bridge. "And how do you know all of that? Because it kinda sounds to me like you might just be covering for your own screwup."

"I assure you, I am not," Thrax shot back, his voice flat and cold. "I know who they are because Goldar and Scorpina have crossed paths with their leader, the Green Ranger, before." He smirked, although the expression was utterly devoid of either happiness or humor. "In fact, my mother is the one who first created him. He is Tommy Oliver, the most infamous Power Ranger in the history of their order."

Morgana's eyes widened slightly; even she had heard that name before. Gruumm's searing red gaze darkened a little, but his anger still burned in those crimson eyes. "And you say this is the doing of that creature who saved Cruger and his S.P.D. cadets from us?" he rasped.

"Undoubtedly." Thrax scowled. "The Sentinel Knight has been dead for many years, but even as a spirit he possesses great magical power. I didn't know he was active on this planet until he rescued those defeated Rangers from us, but restoring the powers of five former Rangers so they could serve as replacements for the ones we defeated would be well within his capabilities."

"Fantastic." Morgana groaned theatrically, rolling her eyes. "We get rid of one lot of Rangers, and that sparkly bastard brings in another batch." She shrugged. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard, then, should it? We can just go down there, bring your friends with us, and do the same thing we did last time; beat 'em up, take their powers, and make sure we kill them properly this time."

"Normally I would agree, but in this case there's no point," Thrax sighed. He immediately held up a hand as Gruumm rounded on him with a furious glare. "Allow me to explain, Emperor. Now that the Sentinel Knight is involved, if we did go after this new Ranger team and were able to strip them of their powers as well, he could just restore the powers of another set. Unfortunately, Earth has no shortage of former Rangers, so he could assemble another team of them easily enough, and there's no way to damage the Morphing Grid badly enough to make it impossible for him to re-power them." He shook his head. "No: the answer to this problem is simple. We must destroy the Sentinel Knight first, so he cannot intervene again. Then we can go after these new Rangers with sufficient force to guarantee a victory, and this time no one will come to save them."

Gruumm nodded slowly, his eyes dimmed slightly as he thought that over, but Thrax's proposition caught Goldar and Scorpina off-guard. "But, my lord… are you sure we can do that?" Goldar questioned. "I thought there was no way to kill the Sentinel Knight."

"Right," Scorpina agreed. "When he had a body, sure, he could be killed, but now? It's not like there's a way to kill a ghost or something like that."

Thrax's scowl faded and was slowly replaced by a cruel smirk. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, my friends," he answered. "As it turns out, there is a way to destroy my old enemy… and it took years of research, but I know where to find it. I had hoped that he wouldn't cause me any more trouble so I wouldn't have to put in the time and effort of tracking it down, but clearly this war between us will not end until either he is destroyed for good, or I am."

"And what 'way' is this?" Gruumm demanded, his eyes flashing. "How can this Knight be destroyed?"

"Patience, Emperor," Thrax assured him. "The weapon that can destroy the Sentinel Knight is on a distant world known as Phaedos, quite a long way from here. I intend to go there, find it, and use its power to eliminate him once and for all. Once that's done, our forces will be able to take care of these new Rangers just like we did with the team from S.P.D., and Earth will be yours for the taking." He smiled coldly as he turned to Goldar and Scorpina. "In the meantime… Goldar, stay here and assist the Emperor and Morgana in my absence. Scorpina, return to my mother's palace and prepare our monster for deployment."

"Of course, Lord Thrax," Scorpina agreed with a smirk. Goldar also nodded in agreement.

Morgana quirked an eyebrow. "Monster?"

"Oh, yes." Thrax's smile became a twisted, malevolent smirk, due in part to his own misshapen face. "A monster whose power far exceeds that of any creature created by either of my parents. That creature will be able to keep the new Rangers out of the way, while I acquire the weapon to kill the Knight and we prepare for our final strike." He turned back to Gruumm, meeting the Emperor's gaze without flinching. "I assure you, Emperor, my plan will not fail. The Knight will be destroyed, the Rangers will fall, and Earth will be yours."

After a long moment, Gruumm nodded. "Very well," he growled. "But I warn you now, Thrax: you will not get another chance. If this plan of yours fails, I promise you… you will regret it." His eyes flashed again, and he turned and swept off the bridge. Morgana shrugged and followed after him.

Thrax relaxed slightly, unclenching his fists and resisting the urge to reach for the staff that was slung over his back. "Oh, I assure you, Emperor," he murmured, "I do not intend to fail." His eyes narrowed. "I will crush that worthless planet, and all those who live upon it will die screaming for their crimes against my family.

"And anyone else who stands in my way… no matter who they are… will face the same fate."


Notes: And there we are!

Shoutouts to RHatch89, dguice, Guest, James Birdsong, and Lovepeaceandwar for reviewing; you guys are awesome. :)

Next chapter, the new Ranger team settles into their role as the new defenders of Earth; the members of B-Squad try to come to terms with losing their powers and their roles as Rangers; and Thrax's plan to destroy the Sentinel Knight is explained. See you all then!